Traction unit



w. E. WINE TRACTION UNIT I Aug. 21, 1945.

'- Filed May 5, 1945 Z'SflegtsSheeti Aug. 21 '1945. v w. E. WINETRACTION UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1943 and tractionfunit, oneform Jan s Patented Aug. 1945- v William Eli/Vine, "lfoleiiogbhio IApplication May 5, 1943, Serial No.485f764 3 3 1 My invention relates totractor wheels and its principal object to provide annular traction unitwhich may be quickly applied to a tractorw heel in" substitution for theconventional rubber tire an'd'its supporting rim tractor wheels are nowcustomarily provided.

A primary feature of the invention "consists in forming 'a traction unitwith an inner annular member and with a pair of rim elements which arerigidly. connected in spaced relation by a plu- 'ralityfof spacermembers having movable ground engaging shoes, the rim elements beingconnected to the inner annular member by aplurality of elongatedmembers; whose outer endsare' alternately connected to the respectiverim elements. e Another feature pffthe invention consists in rigidlyconnecting the rim elements or the itradtion .unit tojthe inner annularmember thereof by a pluralityof elongated members which are secured toeach of the spacer members of the rim elements at circumferentiallyspaced points, the elongated members which are 'connected to alternatespacer members having their inner ends secured to each other and theelongated members which are secured to adjacent sp'acfer members hav ngintermediate portions arranged "in overlapping relation with each other.

LQther and more specific features of the invent on residinginadvantageous f orms, combinations relations Figural isasideelevationalview of the annular of wheel to which the unit iscapable of being P nd a hlin L-Q a l a a Figure 2 is, an enlarged sideelevation view of a" portionof the traction unit, a portion'of the Wheelshown in lEigure 1 being also shown in dot anddash lines. A "Figure 3 isa vertical sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure. 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3. n

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the annular traction unit is shown asfhaving an inner annular member Iand a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallel rim elements 2.

The annular member I is'preferably of angle shape having an axiallyextending flange 3 and an outwardly projecting flange 4. ameter ofmember I is such that it is just slightly greater than the outsidediameter of the wheel 5 to which the traction unit is. to be applied;and the outside diameter of the unit should be approx-I with which I ofpart-swim hereinafter appear and bepointed out irithe claims, l

jseclired beingi shown in r "connected by a'pair of transverse members"I I The inside dia 4 Claims. (o 301456)" imately the same as thediameter of the rubber tire-for'which the traction unitisto'besubstitutedQ L The particular wheel 5 shown in dot and dash linesin the drawings of the disk typelahd it is formed withanouterperipheralflahge 6 to which the rim (not shown)"for theconventional rubber tire is usually secured; This same flange affordsconvenient means whereby the traction 'unitmay be rigidly attached tothe wheelsince the axial flange 3of the annular member I may beeasilyandquickly connected thereto by any suitable securing means, suchas'rivets a The rim e1ements"2 have interposed between them at suitableintervals a plurality of spacer members 8, each 'of which is secured tothe rims at circumferentially spaced points by rivets 9.

The spacers are respectively provided with-upright side walls I [1arranged in overlapping relation with the inner faces of the rimelements and th jouter edges er the side fwalls, which are ofsubstantialfwidth, coincidewith and have the same curvature the outeredges of the p l.

The side walls bf each spacer are integrally which are preferably in theform of gearteeth and together providea gearsegrnent which "gearteethfof aground engaging "shoe 12 are adapted tomesh. The shoefor eachspacermay be advantageously of the character illustrated and describedin detail in my'copending application Serial No. 436,683 filed Maich 28,1942,

having a central tooth l3 and end teeth: l4.

'Thecentral tooth l3 of each shoeis formed with anl extensionhavingopenings IS in the sides 1 thereof j and with' a transverseconnecting bar It. The openingsl5 are adapted to receive a shoeretaining plate I! whichgbridgesthe, spacebetween the two? teeth ll of?the spacer andis *rigidlyj secured theretoby bolts*l8. The "open ings inthe central tooth of each shoe through which the cooperating plate I!passes is of a size to enable the shoe to angle sufficiently withrespect to the rim so that the face of the shoe may assume a positionsubstantially parallel with the surface over which the wheel is to passat the time the weight of the wheel and. the load it carries istransmitted to the shoe.

The two rim elements 2 and their spacers 8 are rigidly connected to theinner annular member I of the traction unit by a plurality of pairs ofelongated members, the corresponding members of each of the pairs beingdesignated l9 and 2B, respectively. The outer ends of the OF C pairs ofelongated members 2' elongated members of each pair are connected to therim elements and to a single spacer member by the rivets 9 which connectthe spacer and rim elements together. The elongated members of eachpair, instead of being connected to the same rim element, are connectedto different rim elements, that is to say, one elongated member of eachpair is connected to one rim element, while the other member of thatpair is connected to the other rim element.

To effect a very rigid connection between the elongated members and therim elements and their spacer members, the upper portions of the sidewalls of each spacer are spaced inwardly from the inner faces of therespectively adjacent rim elements so that the outer ends of theelongated members may be interposed between the side walls of thespacers and the rim elements. In this bers so that the adjacent rivets 9may be tightly driven without subjecting the side walls to bendingstrainsl l H 7 The elongated members l9 and of each pair diverge towardthe axis of the traction unit so that intermediate portions of adjacentmembers of adjoining pairs are arranged in overlapping relationyand theinner ends of members I9 and 20 of alternate pairs are secured to eachother .and to opposite sides of the outwardly projecting flanged of theannular member I by rivets 22.

Due to the'fact that the elongated members of each pair not only divergetoward the axis of the traction unit but also because each of theelongated members inclines inwardly from the rim element to which it issecured for connection to the inner member I by rivets which are indouble sheer, it will be evident that a very rigid and substantialtraction unit has been devised which may be readily substituted for aconventional rubber tire and rim. Various changes and modifications may,of course, be made in detail features of the construction withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. .An annular traction unit adapted to form the peripheral portion of atractor wheel, said unit comprising an inner annular member adapted tobe secured to the outer portion of said wheel,

a pair of laterally spaced annular rim members encircling said innerannular member, s acer members interposed between and rigidly connectedto said rim elements, and a plurality of rigidly connecting each of saidrim elements to said inner annular member, the members of each of saidpairs converging toward each other from their points of connection withthe annular member to their points of connection with the rim element,the

outer ends of each of said pairs of members being I alternatelyconnected to different ones of said rim elements and being secured to anadjacent spacer member at circumferentially spaced points.

2. An annular traction unit adapted to form a peripheral portion of atractor wheel, said unit comprising an inner annular member adapted to.be secured to the outer portion of said wheel, a

pair of laterally spaced annular rim elements en- .circling said innerannular member, spacer members interposed between and rigidly connectedto I said rim elements, and a plurality of elongated members securedtoeach spacermember at circumferentially spaced points for connecting saidrim elements to said inner annular member, the elongated members whichare connected to'alternate spacer members having their inner endssecured to each other and the elongated-members which are secured toadjacent spacer members having intermediate portions arranged inoverlappingv relation with each other. I

3. An annular traction unit adapted toform the peripheral portion of atractor wheel, said unit comprising an inner annular member adapted tobe secured to the outer portion of said wheel, a pair of laterallyspaced annular rim elements encircling saidinner annular member, spacermembers interposed between and rigidly connected to said rim elements,and. a plurality of pairs of elongated members rigidly connecting eachof said rim elements to said inner annular member, the elongated membersof each pair being secured to different rim elements and being arrangedin overlapping relation with adjacent elongated members of adjoiningpairs of said members.

4. An annular traction unit adapted toform the peripheral portion ofatractor wheel, said unit comprising an inner annular member adapted tobe secured to the outer portion of said wheel, a pair of laterallyspaced annular-rim elements encircling said inner annular member,spacermembers, interposed between and rigidly ,connectedto said rimelements, and a plurality of pairs of inwardly diverging elongatedmembers respectively secured to said spacer members at circumferentiallyspaced points for connecting said .rim elements tosaid inner annularmember,

the outer ends of the elongated members of each of said pairs beingsecured to different ones of said rim elements and the inner ends of theelongated members of alternate pairs thereof bei

